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India’s politicians have a clear preference for the bureaucrat-economist, rather than academic economists. Sen’s support for the UPA’s Food Security Bill is as unsolicited as his criticism of Narendra Modi. Sen was not consulted on the drafting of the Bill. Even his protégé and co-author Jean Dreze had serious disagreements with the draft Bill. That man-in-charge of devising the Bill was N.C.Saxena, a retired IAS officer with a specialization in economic policy. For the Congress first family, the force behind welfare-oriented policy, an endorsement from Amartya Sen matters little. It is an endorsement from the electorate that is the big prize. Read More